


All About Us

by Quibbles



Category: GOT7
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Christmas Fluff, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Possessive JB, Smut, Sub Jackson, Teasing, jealous jb, multi-relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:20:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7509967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quibbles/pseuds/Quibbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaebum has a massive crush on this boy in his class, and he can't handle it. If he doesn't talk to him now, he might not get the chance.<br/>Featuring a lot of Shy/Possessive Jaebum and Needy/Adorable Jackson.<br/>There may be other ships, not sure yet!</p><p>This is an abandoned work!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Boy Called Jackson Wang

**Author's Note:**

> Listen. I don't know what came over me. I was thinking of cute Jackbum scenarios and had so many little one shot ideas I was like ZOMG make it into a fic. I don't know how long it will be. I don't know what it'll be. It's going to be VERY FLUFFY. THERE IS NO PLOT, I WARN YOU. THIS IS ME JUST BEING EXCITED ABOUT THE SHIP. Expect nothing. You have been warned.

There he was again, the very noisy, very energetic, and frankly, _very cute,_ 3rd year student in Jaebum’s Political Science class, arguing with the teacher once again about a topic Jaebum himself was only mildly interested in.

“You say this law was instated as a means to protect the community, yet they had no say in the decision whatsoever?” He was saying, Jaebum thought his name might be Jackson, he wasn’t entirely sure. He always sported tousled honey-blonde hair and dark clothing, fitted denim pants and tucked in black t-shirts, sometimes a snapback—and on his way out of the classroom he often was slipping on a thick puffer jacket that hit him right at the hips.

Jaebum had found himself observing all of these things that he would usually pay no attention to, but something about this boy--who’s hand was adorned in bracelets and rings as it shot up class after class with a dozen questions, complete with a booming voice and curious accent—had captivated him.

And he had no idea what to do about it.

Jaebum liked to play it off, but he was a shy person, and often questioned his actions before and after doing them. He had been nursing this crush for weeks now, finding it difficult to focus on much else apart from Jackson, his vibrant voice and actions, even to the point where he had had to confess to his roommate Jinyoung about it. It was no good, trailing off into his thoughts during lectures as his heart lurched whenever Jackson’s face would split into a smile, and he found himself thinking _he might like to be the one making him smile like that._

He gathered his things into his messenger bag as class finished, watching Jackson continue to drill the professor with questions at the front of the lecture hall as everyone else streamed from the room.

“Jackson, I’m sorry, the lecture is over.” The Professor said exhaustedly, edging himself towards the doorway along with everyone else. “If you have any _pressing_ questions, you can visit me doing office hours, although I know for a fact that you understand the content perfectly.”

“I’ll do that!” Jackson said cheerily, before turning and striding towards his desk. He sat at the very front of the lecture hall, always, while Jaebum liked sitting near the back, high up where he hoped he would never be called on. It meant he had never spoken to Jackson before, and now it was almost the end of the Fall semester and if he was going to talk to him, he needed to talk to him now.

_‘Fuck.’_

He slung his bag across his shoulder and began walking down the stairs towards the front of the room, where Jackson was still standing, packing his things away into a leather knapsack. Today he was wearing deep blue denim jeans and combat boots, coupled with a plain black t-shirt and rolled up sleeves. Why did he look so good in such simple clothing?

Jaebum slowed down as he neared Jackson, catching a whiff of a very strong cologne—alright so he was very into scents—and debated over what to do, because had no idea, all he knew was that this guy was even cuter up close, all deep rounded eyes and full lips and thick tousled hair, _holy shit_.

_‘Say something, say anything, just say hi.’_

‘ ** _Hi_**? How to look like a complete dork in 5 seconds, I’m _not_ doing that.’

_‘Well say **something**. You’re passing him, you’re passing him, do it!’ _

‘This isn’t like a girl at a bar where I can just use a bad pick up line then cringe at it later; I don’t even know if he’s _into_ guys.’

_‘Hi isn’t going to give anything away, just say--’_

“Hey!”

Jaebum stopped and turned clumsily to face Jackson, realizing as the word echoed through the room that he hadn’t been the one to say it, it had been Jackson, who was now looking at him with a curious expression, and his eyes were _such_ a deep brown, _what the fuck._

Jaebum clutched at the strap of his messenger bag, opening his mouth. His heartbeat clattered around in his chest as he looked at his crush, who was smiling at him with pink lips, and he struggled to make words. They were now face to face, and he noted that Jackson was a few inches shorter than him and he _loved it._

_‘Say something.’_

_‘Oh fuck fuck fuck.’_

_‘JUST GO.’_

“Yo.” He nodded, his voice low, and he tried, he really did try, to make his mouth form into a smile, but all he could manage was the slightest of smirks. ‘Good job.’ His mind chided disappointedly.

“I know you!” Jackson was saying, shoving his things into his bag without even looking, before slinging it over his shoulders half-open. “You wrote that essay on media’s influence on politics, right?”

Jaebum, blinked, before nodding yes. “How did you—” he began.

“I remember, it was so good, I wanted to come talk to you about it, but you bolted from class so quickly afterwards, I didn’t even see you leave!” Jackson said, walking towards Jaebum, forcing him to back down the aisle and towards the door. “You always leave class so quickly.”

Jaebum was stunned Jackson had ever noticed him, he slipped in and out of class promptly each day, never speaking or interacting with anyone. In his three years at the University, he had only interacted with a handful of people more than a few times. It wasn’t that he _hated_ people. He just got nervous. And now he felt his hands grow clammy as he struggled to figure out what to say to the first crush he had had in a very long time.

Jackson didn’t seem to notice his silence however, he carried on talking. “Not that leaving class quickly is a bad idea, I really should leave earlier myself, I have debate club right after class on Monday’s and Wednesday’s and then I have Fencing on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and swimming on Friday afternoon—I really should do less things, I know, I know, but they’re all so fun, which would I give up if I had to give up one? I don’t even like to think about it! Besides, isn’t that what University is about, trying new things and finding yourself?” As he spoke, he pushed the door open and exited the room, and Jaebum followed because apparently, they were having a conversation.

“Even though there are SO many things I want to do, I do a lot of clubs, and I have a lot of friends, don’t get me wrong, but no one really likes to go OUT you know? Sometimes I just want to do things, do lots of different things, right? Actually, I’m rapping on my friend’s album right now—Youngjae, voice like an angel, _trust me_ , and that’s been really fun. But sometimes I think, man, I just want to go camping, you know?”

Jaebum nodded, his heartbeat slowing and speeding up all at once, as, for some reason, nerves slipped from him. Jackson was exactly the kind of person he couldn’t stand. Loud, _so_ loud, speaking rapidly a mile a minute, complete with over exaggerated hand movements and expressions, yet he found himself smiling (maybe not visibly, but on the inside, definitely) and not particularly minding it at all, and before he knew it, he had walked Jackson all the way across campus to the debate room.

“Oh man I’m late.” Jackson didn’t sound particularly upset by the fact, his sweet smile as bright as ever. “Thanks for talking with me, that was fun! I’ll see you around, okay?”

Jaebum nodded deftly, turning to walk away—the way Jackson was smiling at him, combined with how he carded his fingers through his hair was too much to handle, and he needed to make a swift exit.

“Wait!” Jackson said. “What’s your name?”

“Im Jaebum.” Jaebum said, and it was the fifth and sixth word he had said to Jackson in the span of their entire conversation.

“I’m Jackson, Jackson Wang.” Jackson extended his hand, blazing grin intact. “You’re such a cool guy Im Jaebum, you have so much swag.”

Jaebum shook Jackson’s hand, expressionless as he focused hard on maintaining a relatively stable heartbeat, avoiding the blaze of Jackson’s smile. “You’re late.” He reminded Jackson, who’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re right! Okay, I’m off then! Bye!” he turned and ran into the building behind him and Jaebum covered his face with his hand, unable to avoid the blush spreading like fire across his skin.

_‘You’re such a cool guy.’_

Jaebum groaned and walked in circles, kicking himself over and over for all the things he hadn’t said, and above all, for not asking for Jackson’s number, goddammit. He was so fucking cute, there was no way he would ever be able to handle it anyways, so there was no sense trying.

_‘You’re such a cool guy.’_

Jaebum jogged across the quad, letting out a yell that startled some nearby students. He couldn’t handle it; he couldn’t handle this boy called Jackson Wang.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters are going to be pretty short, I was originally thinking drabbles? And I'm not sure how many chapters, but probably not too many!

“Are you going to ask him out?” Jinyoung asked, eyes directed towards his phone as he sat on the edge of the couch, legs crossed.

“Well first, I’m going to find out if he’s into guys.” Jaebum said, flipping through the pages of his notebook.

“Sounds like an excuse not to do anything.” Jinyoung said, unimpressed.

“I think he’s on the swim team.” Jaebum continued. He’d been friends with Jinyoung for too long to be bothered by his effortless quips. They’d been friends since elementary school, all the way back with Jaebum thought he liked girls.

“Ooh, he’s fit then.” Jinyoung wriggled his brows, his face remaining otherwise expressionless. “Is he your _type,_ Jaebongi?”

“Not exactly.” Jaebum said, getting up from the couch, before reaching forward to knock Jinyoung’s phone out of his hand. Jinyoung moved just far enough out of his reach, shaking his head. “Not exactly?” he repeated.

“He’s a bit…lively.” Jaebum thought carefully about Jackson’s mile-a-minute conversation with himself, but the flashback made the corners of his lips turn up.

“You’re smiling!” Jinyoung accused, looking up from his phone.

“Well, he’s cute!” Jaebum said, grinning with all teeth and nearly shut eyes.

“Okay, ask him out.” Jinyoung said firmly, returning his gaze to his phone.

\--

“Coach, I can do better!” Jackson’s voice lifted above the water, along with his head, as he hauled himself out of the pool.

“Jackson, that was a stellar practice time, you’re doing well, don’t worry about it.” His coach yelled back, standing, cross-armed, looking over the top of his head to the other swim students. “My only request is that you stop stretching yourself so thin, you need to take some time for yourself.”

“Time for myself, absolutely!” Jackson nodded, grabbing his towel, squinting towards the entrance of the pool complex. “Im Jaebum!” he called, cocking his head, rubbing at his head with the towel. “Hi!”

“You can just call me Jaebum.” Jaebum smiled, walking towards Jackson, his hands lightly pushed into his pockets. “I wanted to come see if our school swim team was any good.” He had a quirked half-smirk and smiling eyes that seemed to be thinking about something else.

“We’re pretty good.” Jackson said, drying his hair in sections. “But I just finished practice, so you won’t be able to see the _best_ swimmer in action just yet.”

“Oh, are you the _best_ , then?” Jaebum’s half-smirk was now a full smile.

“Yeah.” Jackson said loftily, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s a gift and a curse, you know?”

Jaebum laughed. “Well aren’t you cocky.” He said. His laugh and the way he said that made Jackson want to continue talking to him.

There was a lull as they both stood, sizing each other up, both smiling faintly. Jackson wondered if Jaebum actually believed he was the best swimmer, and felt a little pressured at the thought, and Jaebum tried hard not to stare at Jackson’s naked torso, but felt his eyes shifting towards it every few seconds against his will.

“You must be hungry.” Jaebum said finally.

“Starving.” Jackson nodded.

“Well, I hope you eat well, see you.” Jaebum said, turning quickly and walking away, before turning back in time to glimpse Jackson’s crest-fallen, confused expression. “I’m teasing, Jackson Wang.” He said, grinning. “You want to eat dinner with a stranger?”

“See, I tried that once I got so many weird looks.” Jackson said, looking confused.

“Mh, it helps to have had at least one previous conversation.” Jaebum said. Jackson cackled suddenly, the sound exploding from him, his grin blazing and wide—it sounded something like a hyena, and startled Jaebum into a blank expression, and then a smile. “Go put a shirt on.” He said, mostly for his own sake.

\--

Jaebum looked doubtfully at Jackson’s glass, filled to the brim with a strange-looking green liquid.

“What is that?” he asked, peering at it as Jackson picked the glass up.

 “It’s a green smoothie, it’s organic, and really good for you!” Jackson said the word ‘organic’ like it was the most exciting concept he had ever come across. “I try to eat well while it’s swim season. You want to try some?”

Jaebum shook his head, sipping his beer. “If I could, fried chicken and beer would be my staple foods.”

“Don’t laugh, but I get tipsy after just a couple beers.” Jackson said, digging into his salad.

“That’s cute.” Jaebum smiled, watching Jackson’s cheeks flush.

“It’s…” Jackson faltered. “I probably just need to build my tolerance!”

“Mh, probably.” Jaebum teased. It was hard to spend time wondering if Jackson was into guys when he was enjoying his company so much. He was no good at figuring things that out anyways. Jackson listened attentively when he spoke, laughed heartily, and didn’t seem to mind physical contact. Their knees brushed occasionally underneath the table and Jackson was making no attempt to move.

Jaebum finished his beer as he listened to Jackson speak about his busy schedule, hoping it would give him courage to just go for it and ask. ‘What do you have to lose?’ his mind pondered, which was something he really couldn’t argue with.

Still, it wasn’t until he had finished his second beer and they were leaving the restaurant that he managed to blurt out, “Hey, so, would you want to go out again?”

Jackson cocked his head. “Right now?” he asked.

Jaebum faltered. “Uh—”

“I actually have to meet with my class group right now.” Jackson frowned, checking his watch. “Here, take my number and we can hang out again soon!” Jaebum fished his phone from his pocket and handed it to Jackson, feeling his resolution slipping from him.

“I—” Jaebum said, taking his phone back as Jackson handed it to him with a smile. “Well…”

“Alright, I got to go!” Jackson said, and Jaebum watched him turn, unsure of what to do, debating whether or not to just blurt out his request, ‘ _Jackson, are you free? Let’s go out on a date’_ , or to take this as a sign that it wasn’t meant to happen. There were too many variables, too many things he still didn’t know about Jackson, and the longer he stood there thinking about it, the more he lost his nerve.

“Oh, wait.” Jackson said suddenly, turning back, and to Jaebum’s surprise, he reached for a hug, sliding his arms around Jaebum’s back, his still-damp hair grazing Jaebum’s cheek. After a hesitant beat, Jaebum lifted his arms to wrap them around Jackson. He was so endearing, the feeling of his strong waistline was something Jaebum felt he could get used to. The hug lasted longer than friendly hugs usually did, and when Jackson pulled away, his expression was nearly coy.

“Okay!” Jackson said brightly. “I’m going to be late, again! Thanks for eating with me hyung!” With that he sprinted off across the quad—Jaebum got the feeling he was often sprinting somewhere. A set of conflicting emotions ebbed and flowed through Jaebum’s chest.

Jackson Wang was _something_ alright, even the thought of him was a little dizzying, and Jaebum hadn’t managed to work up the courage to ask him on a date, but at least he had gotten his number.

Jinyoung would definitely still tease him about being a chicken.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson invites Jaebum out dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I ended up not liking the ending of the last chapter, so I changed it. The last few paragraphs are different, so go back and read if you haven't already to see the changes!

Jaebum sat perched on the edge of his bed, in the middle of pulling on a pair of striped socks, when his phone buzzed beside him on the bed. He grabbed it up, assuming it was a notification from Candy Crush or something, only to see it was Jackson.

_‘Hey, Mr. B-boy, come out with me tonight.’_

Jaebum blinked at the text. It had been a few days since he had seen Jackson, and, after being run through the mills about it through Jinyoung, and mulling over the interactions he had had with Jackson, sifting through each brush of hands or lingering glance as if it were a clue, concealing a hidden ‘aha’ moment, he had come to the conclusion that Jackson was most likely not that interested in him.

The text was a pleasant surprise.

 **‘Hi. This is Jaebum.’** He typed, just in case Jackson had sent a text to the wrong person.

_‘I know. :D Come out with me tonight. It’s my friend’s birthday and we’re going out. You like to dance, right?’_

Jaebum did like to dance, he had danced all through high school, as a B-boyer in fact, which he wondered how in the world Jackson could have known or thought that about him. Dancing in a club, however, was kind of a different idea. Still, he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity, so he replied with a lengthy, ‘ **Sure**.’

\--

“It’s louder than I expected.” Jaebum blinked against the throbbing multi-colored lights overhead, flashing on and off in quick succession to the beat of the music. “What??!” Jackson yelled over the base of seamless EDM tracks. He had come to meet Jaebum by the door, immediately grabbing him by the hand and dragging him through the thick crowd of gyrating bodies towards the bar. “I can’t hear you, it’s really loud in here!”

“I know!” Jaebum yelled back.

“Well, anyways—this,” Jackson brandished to a tall boy with dark reddish-brown hair, standing at the bar mid-grin, a drink in his hand. “is Yugyeom. It’s his birthday today! He just turned 20.”

Jaebum’s brows shot up in surprise, he had thought the boy much older than newly 20, and the sense of intimidation that had been building in his chest faded just slightly. “Happy birthday.” He offered, extending his hand. “I’m Im Jaebum.”

“I know.” Yugyeom took his hand and shook it firmly, simultaneously downing his drink. Jaebum wondered what that meant, that _he knew_. Had Jackson been talking about him? The idea set his heart racing, but before he had time to think about it, Jackson had ordered a round of drinks, leaning over the bar to bellow his requests, earning a bemused smile from the bartender.

“You need to catch up.” Jackson said, nodding deftly as he handed Jaebum two shots of Soju, bouncing on his heels as he stood waiting for him to finish them. Jaebum smiled at him, observing Jackson with interest. He was wearing a thick white t-shirt with rolled up sleeves and grey jeans that clung to his legs, his wrists adorned with various bracelets. When he turned around to talk to Yugyeom, Jaebum couldn’t stop looking at his ass if someone had paid him to. He quickly downed both shots while openly staring—holy shit what an ass. It didn’t seem feasible for someone to have a butt that nice but there was Jackson, and _there it was_.

“Oh!” Jackson said suddenly, grabbing the arm of another guy as he walked up the bar, shorter than Yugyeom, with dark brown hair and a pleasant expression. “Youngjae, this is Jaebum!” His cheeks were flushed, obviously already tipsy, and as he pushed Youngjae towards Jaebum, Jaebum noticed the way Yugyeom’s hand reached out to steady Jackson.

“Hi, I’m Youngjae!” Youngjae smiled, thrusting his hand forward, and Jaebum liked him immediately, an unfamiliar feeling. “Nice to meet you.” He nodded, as Jackson handed him 2 more shots the second he put the first two empty glasses down.

“Drink up, and then let’s dance!” Jackson was giddy, and dancing all by himself at the bar, not particularly caring where he was. “We have to celebrate Yugyeom’s birthday!” he leaned forward to lay a hand on Yugyeom’s shoulder, grinning. “You’re a man now.” He said solemnly, and Yugyeom laughed more than he needed to, his eyes lingering on Jackson’s mouth the same way Jaebum knew his own eyes were.

 

“Jackson hasn’t stopped talking about you.” Youngjae smiled, leaning in to converse with Jaebum without having to yell over the music. “All night he’s been hoping you would come out. I think he’s excited to be friends with you.”

“Oh yeah?” Jaebum said, downing his next shot, feeling a familiar warmth spread throughout him. “How much has he had to drink, anyway?”

“He’s a light-weight.” Youngjae laughed. “But I’m his roommate and I’m not drinking so, I’ll get him home safely.”

Jaebum wasn’t worried about that, he was more concerned with who Jackson would be going home with, and less about how he would be getting there. Judging by the way Yugyeom was looking at Jackson, following his every move with his eyes, Jaebum got the distinct feeling he wasn’t the only one vying for Jackson’s attention.

“Are you finished?” Jackson appeared by Jaebum’s side, resting both hands on his leg as he sat on the bar bench. “Just about.” Jaebum nodded, glancing down at Jackson’s hands as they lifted from his leg, reaching for his hands. “Okay, let’s all dance then!” Jackson grinned, ushering the group towards the dance floor, to join the dozens of other bodies there.

 

Even more of Jackson’s friends were on the dance floor, mostly guys, with a few female faces sprinkled into the mix—a concoction of young, attractive people, each more striking than the last. If Jaebum was the type to get jealous or possessive—oh.

Jaebum had already gotten an inkling that Jackson was a popular person—this only served to confirm that. He tried to hold unto the names Jackson rattled off to him each time he was introduced to someone new, but it was difficult, especially because he was distracted trying to gauge who among those people Jackson could possibly have eyes for, male or female. But Jackson seemed more interested in wildly dancing and grinning, having fun with whoever would let him, whether he had previously known them or not. He was a bundle of energy, each time he would come over to Jaebum to interact with him, Jaebum felt his skin prick with anticipation.

Jackson’s smile was beautiful and addicting, he felt himself grinning back each time, warning up to him more and more, moving more fluidly every time Jackson came towards him, thinking less about whether or not Jackson could or did like him _like that_ , and more time thinking about how warm he was and what he tasted like.

The night drifted on and Jaebum felt the crowd thin around him. Now he was more than just tipsy, finding Jackson and taking his hands and pulling him close was easy, thoughtless. “I knew you could dance.” Jackson said, leaning in towards Jaebum, and Jaebum held him around the small of his back for a second, just long enough to see Jackson’s expression change.

When he moved his hand, Jackson made no attempt to step back, standing just inches from him. He didn’t flit back towards the rest of his friends, and when Jaebum slid his hand gently back around Jackson’s lower back, Jackson only looked up at him with a tipsy smile Jaebum wanted to press his mouth against.

“You shouldn’t look at people like that you know. You might give them the wrong idea.” Jaebum whispered against Jackson’s ear, his hand rubbing circles against his back. His mind was loose and blissfully free of intrinsic thoughts, instead listening to the sound of Jackson’s laugh and enjoying the feeling of his arms winding around his neck. The music was a slow throb now, and Jackson’s fingertips ran lightly against the nape of his neck, his gaze bright and captivating.

Jaebum shivered involuntarily, holding Jackson by his hips now, pulling him closer, and Jackson was entirely willing, more than willing, wanting. Jackson’s lips were parted and glistening and Jaebum realized suddenly that Jackson wanted to kiss him too, an idea which half stunned him. “What’s the wrong idea?” Jackson asked, tilting his head to the side, his voice lifting above the thrum of the music.

Jaebum bent just enough to ghost Jackson’s mouth with his own, just lightly enough that Jackson could pull away anytime he saw fit, but Jackson only inched forward, closing the gap between them, tightening his grip around Jaebum’s shoulders. The kiss was chaste for a few seconds, just long enough for Jaebum to taste Jackson and appreciate how soft his lips were, and then suddenly it wasn’t anymore, and Jackson was pressed hard flush against him, his mouth an open invitation.

 

Jaebum was finding it increasingly hard to focus on anything but the feeling of Jackson’s mouth, his tongue, the way he leaned forward, until they had to separate, filling their lungs with air. “Fuck.” Jackson said, and Jaebum mumbled ‘what’ against his neck, deliriously happy. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.” Jackson said tipping his chin up again to press his mouth against Jaebum’s, wasting no time, running his tongue against Jaebum’s, eliciting a shaky moan from the taller boy.

“How long?” Jaebum asked, pulling back, much to Jackson’s dissatisfaction.

“I don’t know.” Jackson mumbled, suddenly embarrassed. “How long have you wanted to kiss me?”

“I hadn’t thought of it before.” Jaebum teased, loving the look on Jackson’s face. He enjoyed how much this talkative boy put him at ease and made him feel okay. Some of the credit went to the Soju but at least half of it went to Jackson Wang, with his killer smile and kind expression. “For a long time.” He admitted, his heart clenching at the way Jackson’s face lit up with a smile.

“You want to come back to my place?” Jackson breathed music against his ear, his voice low and hungry, and Jaebum couldn’t have agreed any more quickly. In a night he had gone from being entirely unsure of where he stood with Jackson, to kissing him full on his delicious mouth that tasted like something Jaebum couldn’t describe, but he couldn’t get enough of it.

“Jackson, I’m taking you home.” Youngjae said, moving towards them. Jaebum realized suddenly that the club had considerably thinned out, and when he glanced blearily at his watch, he saw it was past 2 am. How long had he been standing there kissing Jackson? And how long had Youngjae been watching them? Jaebum felt his thoughts rushing back to him, self-awareness a curse.

“Mh, it’s okay. I’ll head back later with Jaebum.” Jackson said, shooting Youngjae a pointed look. Jaebum didn’t meet eyes with Youngjae, his cheeks flushing as he started wondering how many guys Jackson brought home with him, how common an occurrence this was. Youngjae didn’t seem at all shaken, only shrugging and nodding before saying his goodnight, and Jaebum might’ve lost his nerve and backed down if not for Jackson’s brilliant smile, that smile that made him forget everything except Jackson.

“You want to get out of here now?” he asked.

“Let’s.” Jackson breathed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finding time to write was hard this week! It felt good to find a couple hours to write a chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebum is insecure when he meets Jackson's roommate.

Jaebum’s circadian rhythm pulled him gently from his sleep, and upon opening bleary eyes, he saw Jackson, his face pressed into his pillow, blonde hair messily spread all around. It took a few blinks for Jaebum to remember why and how he had gotten here, into Jackson’s bed, and he reached over to run his fingers through Jackson’s hair, pushing it away from his face. What a face, even fast asleep and lightly snoring Jaebum found himself intrigued by everything about Jackson Wang.

He realized then that he was still wearing clothes that weren’t his own, and remembered that Jackson had given him shorts and a cotton t-shirt from out of his dresser, giggling as he stumbled into his bedroom, holding Jaebum’s arm with his free hand.

_“This is my bedroom. It’s where the magic happens”._

“What magic?”

“Me! I’m the magic!” And Jackson had melted into giggles all over again and collapsed unto his bed, taking Jaebum with him, and for a while it had been nothing but kisses in the darkness, Jaebum licking and sucking along Jackson’s neck, breathing him in—he smelled like expensive cologne—and Jackson moaning in a way Jaebum didn’t ever want to stop hearing.

Eventually he had had to cover Jackson’s mouth with his own because his moans kept getting louder and louder, until Jaebum was sure the entire apartment would be able to hear them. The thrum of alcohol through his veins slowed his movements and made them clumsy, and when Jackson asked him to take his clothes off, all grins and giggles (those giggles would be the death of him, _fuck_ ) Jaebum had realized they were both a little too drunk to do this properly—mostly Jackson.

“Next time.” He had said, kissing Jackson firmly on the mouth. “We should be more sober.” It had been a good call, because only a few minutes later and Jackson was curled against him under the covers, his head pressed up against Jaebum’s chest, fast asleep. Jaebum didn’t think himself much of a cuddler, but the way Jackson reached for his hand underneath the covers, fumbling to intertwine their fingers was rapidly forcing him to rethink himself.

Sitting up slowly, Jaebum let the rest of the night run like water through his mind. When had Jackson’s birthday friend left the club? Had they ever dated in the past? Were they currently a thing? Jaebum had hooked up a few times in his three years of University, but never with anyone he could see himself dating, and he had never slept over at their place before.

Amidst Jaebum’s quiet pondering Jackson woke up, eyes fluttering in disorientation, and neither of them said anything for a while as Jackson stretched his arm above and behind his head, blinking and looking around. “What time is it?” he finally croaked, voice barely there.

“It’s 10:32.” Jaebum said, glancing at his watch. Quietly slipping away was no longer an option. He hadn’t been sure if he would have wanted to anyways.

“Oh…” Jackson said, sitting up and reaching for his phone. “My roommate texted asking if we wanted to go for breakfast. You want to?”

“We?” Jaebum asked.

“Well yeah.” Jackson said. “Aren’t you hungry? I’m starving.”

“I—” Jaebum started, before being interrupted by the sound of his own stomach growling. Jackson glanced towards it, before grinning and leaning forward, catching Jaebum by the mouth with a kiss that ended up lasting a lot longer than intended—moving from gentle and lazy to the complete in opposite in a few seconds. Jaebum felt his hesitations dissolve in that eager morning kiss and by the end he was grinning as well. It was hard to look directly into Jackson’s eyes without feeling _something_ in the pit of his stomach. “Yeah, I am.” He replied finally, his eyes settling on Jackson’s mouth.

\--

Mark Tuan was ridiculously attractive.

When Jackson introduced him as his other roommate, Jaebum hoped to God the man before him would stand to the side to make way for someone less… _ethereal,_ but there he remained, a relaxed half-smile on his perfectly proportional face, blonde hair one shade darker than Jackson’s--cut to the nape of his neck, and, Jaebum noticed as Mark lifted his hand to the back of his neck—a bracelet identical to the one Jackson was wearing around his wrist.

 _Matching bracelets, they had matching bracelets._ Who got matching freaking bracelets with their _roommate_?

“You guys must be hungry.” Mark was saying, winking subtly, and Jaebum found himself standing there with an awkward open-mouth sort of half-smile, trying to keep himself composed while also trying not to panic. “I’m starving!” Jackson piped, pushing himself into the corner of the booth, at the same time grabbing Mark’s arm and tugging. “Feed me, Mark!” He half-whined, grinning. Jaebum sat gingerly beside him, watching Mark look at Jackson with enough affection to nearly knock him off his feet.

“Stop whining, you big baby. I ordered for you already, you always get the same thing.” Mark said, sitting opposite to Jackson. He had the sort of voice you wanted to listen to, soft and low.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” the waitress appeared by Jaebum’s side, startling him out of his thought process.

“Just a coffee and some toast to start.” He said promptly, and she nodded before leaving.

“Wow, you’re so cool.” Jackson said suddenly, his hand coming up squeeze Jaebum’s arm briefly before falling back to his side. “Coffee and toast, how adult.”

“I just haven’t decided yet.” Jaebum said, glancing down to where Jackson had touched him. “It’s also good to avoid hangovers.”

“Wow!” Jackson said brightly. “You’re so chic.” He turned to Mark, grinning. “Isn’t he so chic Mark? Jaebum’s the coolest.”

“Mhm.” Mark was smiling. “He is pretty chic.” He looked at Jaebum with an almost apologetic smile as if to say ‘sorry about my overly excitable puppy’. Jaebum wondered how long Mark and Jackson had known each other.

 

Despite his concerns, Jaebum found himself getting comfortable over the course of breakfast with the two roommates. Jackson was incredibly cute, it was hard not to smile at his antics—his excitement when his pancakes came, along with _organic_ orange juice, the way he absent-mindedly flicked hair out of his face with a toss of his head. Jaebum came to learn that Jackson liked to reach out and grab or lightly touch his arm while he was talking animatedly, and he wasn’t opposed to it. He thought himself an awkward person, sometimes totally unsure of how to react to Jackson’s overtly-energetic movements, but Mark’s chill, laid-back personality somehow helped him maneuver his way through the rapidly-moving conversation.

“You missed it Mark. I killed it on the dance floor, I was like fire. People were like who’s that guy with the amazing dance moves, oh wait, it’s Jackson.” Jackson was saying, beaming while simultaneously shoveling food into his mouth.

“I know.” Mark fake-sighed. “Too bad Melanie was sick; I would have been able to see otherwise.”

“Melanie?” Jaebum asked. Did Mark have a cat too?

“My girlfriend.”

“His girlfriend.” Mark and Jackson spoke simultaneously and Jaebum’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, but inside, his heart _soared_. ‘Thank god.’

“Oh.” Jaebum offered plainly, before adding “I have a cat named Nora.”

‘Why are you so awkward, Im Jaebum?’

But Jackson smiled at him anyways.

“Nice.” Mark said. “That reminds me actually, I should get back to feed Coco.”

“His other girlfriend.” Jackson interjected gleefully.

“My dog.” Mark quickly corrected, slipping out of the booth. “It was nice meeting you Jaebum. I see why Jackson likes you so much, you let him talk as much as he wants.”

Jackson made an embarrassed expression that Jaebum caught out of the corner of his eye, reaching over to swat at Mark. “Mark, you’re free to go.” He mumbled.

“Bye!” Mark grinned cheekily, as Jackson sank back into his seat, twin pricks of red on his cheeks.

“Mark’s the worst.” Jackson insisted, stabbing at his last half-eaten pancake. Jaebum said nothing, looking over at Jackson with smiling eyes and watching him redden. “You’ve been talking about me?” he asked, after a few moments of silence, reveling in the high-pitched sound Jackson made while avoiding eye-contact. He wondered what sort of things Jackson said about him, and thanked God once more for making Mark straight.

 


	5. Christmas Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebum and Jackson get closer over the break. Jaebum worries things are one-sided.

The short Christmas holiday brought, along with intermittent snow flurries, a lot of time spent between Jaebum and Jackson. One hangout naturally flowed into the next, until they were spending most of their day together. One day Jackson invited Jaebum to the movies, during which their fingertips brushed against each other’s over the popcorn, until Jaebum gave in and held Jackson’s hand, to which Jackson romantically responded ‘ _but I’m buttery’_ resulting in Jaebum licking Jackson’s fingers and then _a lot of kissing_ under the cover of a darkened theatre.

That night Jackson called Jaebum and they talked about the movie—Jackson talked about the movie, and Jaebum listened and grinned and said ‘yes’ when Jackson asked if he was still there or still listening before going back to his mile-a-minute conversation with himself. They talked for hours like that, drifting from the movie to life topics. Jackson talked about how many activities he juggled in school and how trying it was. He didn’t like to fail at things. He worked hard to be his best. Jaebum talked about Nora. Jackson got excited and asked to meet her.

“You get cute when you’re talking about your cat.” Jackson teased from across the line.

“And then? What about the rest of the time?” Jaebum asked, his voice raspy with want for sleep. He didn’t want to hang up.

A pregnant pause.

“You’re cute then, too.” Jackson said, and Jaebum closed his eyes and imagined Jackson red.

“You’re cute.” He replied, lying back against his pillow, one leg up. “You’re really fucking cute, Jackson Wang.” It was the first time he had said it openly like that. It was probably the sleep deprivation that made his tongue loose. Jackson said nothing for a while and Jaebum wished he hadn’t said anything. ‘Fuck.’

“You really think that?” Jackson said finally, softly. He sounded different.

“Are you serious?” Jaebum laughed. “Have you been missing how I can’t stop staring at you? Ever?”

“Yes.” Jackson said promptly. “I feel like I’m always staring at _you_. You realize how intimidating your look is?”

“So I’ve been told.” Jaebum admitted ruefully. “It’s not on purpose.”

“It took me so much courage to talk to you after class. And then I had no idea if you were into guys much less me. When you kissed me, it took everything not to completely freak out.” Jackson’s sudden confession made Jaebum laugh, the laugh Jackson called his dinosaur laugh—but he couldn’t help it. He had been spending so much time thinking about what coming off as cool to Jackson, without recognizing that Jackson could have even been thinking the same thing. The irony was not lost on him.

Jackson slept over for the first time after a week of hanging out every day, on a cold and blistery night Jaebum insisted wasn’t safe for him to go home alone in, even by taxi. That was part of the reason, the other part being Jackson was a sleepy bundle cuddled on his couch, and he didn’t particularly want to let go of him.

“I…I have to meet Yugyeom early tomorrow.” Jackson mumbled sleepily, his head nodding forward, and Jaebum pulled him against himself, leaning back against the couch. “You’re not going anywhere, it’s too late. Tell him to come here in the morning.”  

Jackson turned in Jaebum’s arms, eyes shut. He was soft and warm, his body pliable—Jaebum loved how Jackson felt against him. They hadn’t talked about what they ‘were’ or even gone on an official date, but Jaebum didn’t want to be the first one to breech the topic. He got the feeling that Jackson was something of a free spirit. He had a wild and busy schedule, more friends than Jaebum could count, and after only a week, Jaebum thought it was too early to make things complicated. He already knew what he wanted on his end—Jackson, only, monogamously, even now holding him close wasn’t enough.

“M-okay.” Jackson said reluctantly, even though he was way too tired to get himself out of Jaebum’s apartment even if he wanted to. Jackson was full of energy, until he wasn’t. 100 to 0 in 20 seconds, that was the kind of person he was. He never gave less than 100% during his waking hours, but when it came time to sleep, he was like a rock, completely zoned out. Jaebum liked that about him. He liked a lot of things about him.

 

In the morning Jinyoung woke Jaebum up, eyebrows quirked and holding a cup of coffee, and Jaebum got a bleary Jackson to text Yugyeom to come over to meet him. Jaebum still didn’t know how he felt about Yugyeom. Jackson had a ton of friends, and Jaebum liked them for the most part. He didn’t dislike Yugyeom, he just disliked the way he looked at Jackson. ‘We’ve been best friends since his first year.’ Jackson had said fondly, and Jaebum had smiled with him mouth. Mhm. Best friends.

Yugyeom was tall and good-looking and always seemed to be _around_. He responded to Jackson’s texts right away every time, no matter what, and was always ready to help him out whenever he needed something. Jackson liked to used a lot of emoji’s while he was texting—Yugyeom used even more, as if to satisfy Jackson’s needs even over text. Jaebum knew he was probably overthinking and overreacting, he tended to do that, but it didn’t stop him from tightening his grip around Jackson’s waist as Jackson moved to stand when Yugyeom rang the doorbell.

“I’ll text you later.” Jackson said, moving towards the door, and Jaebum silently held him until Jackson turned and looked at him with a half-smile. “What?” Jaebum moved towards Jackson, capturing his lips. So he was the possessive type. ‘Sue me.’ Possessive of what, he wasn’t even sure, it wasn’t like he and Jackson had a title. Luckily, a good kiss always served to distract Jackson, who responded over-eagerly, wrapping both arms around Jaebum’s neck and kissed him back, his lips red and half-parted.

Jinyoung rolled his eyes as the two of them collapsed backwards unto the couch and opened the door since no one else was making a move to. “Jackson’s currently occupied.” Jaebum heard him offer dryly, and a part of him hoped Yugyeom could see him kissing Jackson, marking him. ‘ _Mine, mine, mine’_ his mind declared. Jackson smelled intoxicating, even in the morning. It took so much not to push his hand up under Jackson’s shirt against the plane of muscle there, took so much not to suck at his pale neck until he left a mark.

“It’s…I got to…” Jackson breathed in between kisses, moving to pull back. Jaebum growled low in his throat, but he had to let go, watched Jackson hop up and rush to greet Yugyeom eagerly, all bright eyes and his devastatingly cute smile.

“Yeah, Jaebum said I should sleep over because it was snowing hard last night.” Jackson said pulling on his coat and gloves. He looked like a little marshmallow when he got all bundled up.

“Oh yeah? It wasn’t all that bad. If you let me know next time I’ll come walk you home if you want.” Yugyeom replied, reaching to adjust Jackson’s hood. It was all very _familiar_.

‘ _Of course_ you will.’ Jaebum thought, dragging himself into a standing position and stalking to the front door where Yugyeom stood innocently.

“Hi, hyung!” Yugyeom greeted brightly, and Jaebum nodded shortly at him. It was annoying how cheerful he always was. Cheerful and tall and always ready to help.

“You don’t have to do that.” Jackson said. “You’re too generous Yugyeom, seriously. I’m off!” he said, all in the same breath, waving to Jinyoung and then hugging Jaebum briefly, just a hug. Jaebum couldn’t read Jackson—it was painfully frustrating.

“You _really_ like him.” Jinyoung observed after Jackson had left. “How very unlike you.”

“I don’t.” Jaebum rolled his eyes.

 

 

 

He did.


End file.
